Project description

Population Assessment of Cetaceans in Sri Lanka (PACE Sri Lanka) project will contribute to the urgent need of comprehensive data on cetacean populations, their abundance, important habitats, distribution and migration patterns in a Large Marine Ecosystem of Bay of Bengal. In addition to the regular scientific and technical reports and articles, the project will display the results in spatial form and collect all the data together in user-friendly web-based dissemination portal, which will be directed towards general public as well as professionals in Ocean Management.

After the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro in 1992, Total created a corporate foundation dedicated to the environment and more specifically to marine biodiversity. In addition, the Total Foundation financially supports research projects and awareness programs in culture, community support, and health. Total Foundation is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2012. The Foundation also covers other subjects of philantrophy: culture, community, support and health.

Principal Investigator

Professor Neil Bellefontaine was Vice President (Academics) at WMU from April 2011 to December 2018. He previously held the Canadian Chair in Marine Environmental Protection from October 2006 to April 2013. He was formerly a senior executive with the Canadian Fisheries and Oceans Department with broad professional experience in maritime administration, fisheries and marine aquaculture and coastal and oceans management.